The present invention generally relates to portable electronic devices and, more particularly, to a dynamic moveable hinge for devices such as portable electronic devices.
It is known to include hinges on a portable electronic device. A conventional hinge may enable half of the device to close onto the other half of the device. For example, in laptop computers, a display half of the laptop may be closed onto the computing half of the laptop thus protecting the interiors of each half from external damage.
Referring to FIG. 1, an example of a conventional hinge HN connecting a top half TH to a bottom half BH of a portable electronic device PED is shown. Typically, the hinge HN may connect the rear edges of the device's two halves (TH, BH). The portable electronic device PED may be opened or closed by rotating the top half TH about the hinge's longitudinal axis LA while the bottom half BH generally remains in place. To accommodate the hinge HN during rotation of the top half TH about the hinge's longitudinal axis LA, the bottom half BH may include a half-pipe HP providing clearance for the rear edge RE of the top half TH. The hinge HN may be fixed in place so that the longitudinal axis LA remains static when the top half TH is opened or closed.
In the prior art portable electronic device PED, inclusion of the half-pipe HP may be acceptable when the bottom half BH is sufficiently thick and the protrusion of the half-pipe HP into the interior of the bottom half does not interfere with internal components. However, some portable electronic devices may now be designed with a thinner profile than the prior art portable electronic device PED. In portable electronic devices with a thinner profile, space may be at a premium. In addition, the prior art hinges may undesirably protrude from the rear of a portable electronic device which may contrast sharply with an aesthetic design of portable electronic devices with thinner profiles.
As can be seen, there is a need for a hinge that can connect two halves of a portable electronic device without protruding into the interior of the bottom half of the device.